The electronic edition is a part of the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American
South.

Languages used in the text:
English

Revision history:

2005-03-15, Sarah Ficke finished TEI/XML encoding.

Part of a series:
This transcribed document is part of a digital collection, titled True and Candid
Compositions: The Lives and Writings of Antebellum Students in North
Carolina
written by
Lindemann, Erika

Source(s):

Title of collection: Pettigrew Family Papers (#592), Southern
Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Title of document: Letter from Charles L. Pettigrew to Ebenezer
Pettigrew, August 6, 1832

Author: Charles L. Pettigrew

Description: 3 pages, 4 page images

Note:
Call number 592 (Southern Historical
Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Editorial practicesThe text has been encoded using the recommendations for Level 5 of
the TEI in Libraries Guidelines. Transcript of the personal correspondence. Originals are in the
Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill.Original grammar, punctuation, and spelling have been preserved.DocSouth staff created a 600 dpi uncompressed TIFF file for each image. The TIFF images were then saved as JPEG images at 100 dpi for web access.Page images can be viewed and compared in parallel with the
text.Any hyphens occurring in line breaks have been removed, and the
trailing part of a word has been joined to the preceding line.Letters, words and passages marked as deleted or added in originals
have been encoded accordingly.All quotation marks, em dashes and ampersand have been transcribed
as entity references.All double right and left quotation marks are encoded as ".All single right and left quotation marks are encoded as '.All em dashes are encoded as —.Indentation in lines has not been preserved.

For more information about transcription and other editorial decisions,
see Dr. Erika Lindemann's explanation under the section Editorial Practices.

Document Summary

Pettigrew informs his father that he has entered the University,
attends three recitations a day, and accepted $80 from William Bingham
for his expenses for the session.

I have entered college and am about to recite my first lesson on
ancient geography I have taken up my board at the same place where
uncle James boards
and which is the best place in the village it is a very good house and I
have think I shall board as long as I
stay here;
Mr Bingham tried to get my board a doctor
Caldwell's but his wife being sick
I cou he could not take me. I am in very
good health and have not been sick since I got clear of that coald. It is very
healthy here and there are very few people sick; there is a great drought in
this part of the contry and it is thought there will not be more than half
crops made there has not been rainexcept within a few days a sufficcent quantity of
rain in a-bout three months.

Page 2

I shall h have to study
very hard but neverthe less I have adopted the plan of not eating much and
taking regular exercise we recite three lessons every day one in the morning
and another at eleven Oclock and a third in the evening, I
have but little time to spare.
Uncle
James is a very hard student he studies nearly all day and very late at
night and I am glad to say that he studies to some purpose he about the best
scholar in his class and it is very likely that he will speak the latin speach
which is a great honour. When I left
Hillsborough for
Chapel
HillMr Bingham gave me 80 dollars to bear my expenses for the
present session and told me if I I required more he would give it
to me, but I feel a diffidence in asking or
writting to him for money which I would not feel by applying to you and I being
no more his scholar it would be as well for me nex session to get the money
from you that is if it accords with your m wishes it is now now about ten Oclock and I must go to bed
and end my

Page 3

letter by telling you good night please
give my love to
Grand ma and and
respects to all my acquaintaences

I here send you a copy of
Mr
Gaston's speech before the
dielectic and
Philanthropic societies.2
Direct you your letters to
Chapel
Hill.

Envelope page

Endnotes:

1. Pettigrew Family Papers, SHC. The letter is addressed "Mr E
Pettigrew/
Cool
Spring/
N.C."; "mail" appears in the lower left
corner, "CH" in the upper left corner, and the postage "18
1/4" in the upper right corner. A circular postmark has been stamped to
the left of the address; it reads "CHAPLHILLN.C." and "AU," but the date is unrecovered.
The number (or date) 1.832 appears at the far left edge of the envelope face.
The letter previously has been published in Lemmon 2:175-76.

2. In 1832
Gaston had been chosen by the
Philanthropic Society to deliver the commencement
address before the two societies. A slave holder,
Gaston nevertheless believed that "it is Slavery
which, more than any other cause, keeps us back in the career of improvement.
It stifles industry and represses enterprize—it is fatal to economy and
providence—it discourages skill—impairs our strength as a
community, and poisons morals at the fountain head" (14).